Automakers have always known that the best way to sell a car is to put potential buyers behind the wheel. With that in mind, savvy car manufacturers have tapped into the rental car industry to entice renters – studies show they are twice as likely to buy a new vehicle within the next six months – as potential new customers, and use them for market research.

As inventory of the Chevrolet Malibu and Buick LaCrosse continues to pile up, General Motors will be idling its Fairfax Assembly Plant for two weeks, according to Automotive News. This move comes about a month after the plant was shut down for three weeks in late December and early January for the same reason. As of January 31, the GM had a 94-day supply of Malibu stock while the LaCrosse was a little worse with a 117-day supply.

According to a letter from General Motors to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, flaws in the build process of the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu have led to the recall of 8,519 cars. Units built between December 6, 2011 and January 15, 2013 may have been assembled with rear suspension cradles that had insufficient torque applied to certain bolts. That out-of-spec assembly could lead to issues ranging from slight noises to a loss of vehicle control.

Opponents of the US auto bailout – specifically that of "Government Motors" – should have a field day with this information. According to data compiled by Automotive News from the Government Services Administration, General Motors became the largest supplier of new cars to the US Government; overtaking Ford for the first time since 2009. Before the bailout, GM had held this lead dating back to at least 2005.

We don't have to look much further than the 2013 Ford Fusion as proof that family cars should no longer be boring to look at, and after apparently taking some heat for the redesign of the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu, Chevrolet is reportedly preparing an emergency redesign of its midsize sedan in a similar fashion that we just saw happen to the 2013 Honda Civic. Automotive News is reporting that Chevy is working on refreshing the Malibu by the end of 2013, which is about 18 months after the new car wen